Above: Detail of a jaki-ed (fine mat) by Patsy Hermon. 2012.
Below, left to right: Terse Timothy, Susan Jieta, Patsy Hermon, and
Ashken Binat are expert weavers involved with a program aimed at
reviving the art of jaki-ed and training young weavers at the
University of the South Pacific (usp) Marshall Islands. The
initiative has resulted in revitalization of jaki-ed as well as
contemporary interpretations of the customary techniques. Photos by
K Earnshaw (Terse Timothy) and T Greenstone Alefaio.

[End Page vi]

Finely woven and intricately and symbolically patterned mats are
a cultural treasure of the Marshallese people. They are the
expression of kōrō im an kōl (an attribute bestowed on all
Marshallese women at birth) that grants women the opportunity to
develop their unique talent and creativity. This form of creative
expression is being revived through contemporary jaki-ed (finely
woven mat).

Once used for clothing and for cultural, ceremonial, and
domestic purposes, jaki-ed have been replaced by mass-produced
clothing and furnishings. Marshallese master weaver Tibonieng
Samuel recalled making her last clothing mat on Ujae during World
War II when commercial ships, unable to enter the Pacific theater,
could not deliver cotton fabric. Postwar economic and social
factors have perpetuated the loss of traditional knowledge and
cultural systems that characterized Marshallese society since the
islands were first settled over two thousand years ago. As a
consequence, knowledge of the traditional methods of weaving
jaki-ed and the cultural meanings of the complex designs was
rapidly disappearing.

Since 2006, the University of the South Pacific (usp)-Marshall
Islands Campus and traditional leader Maria Kabua-Fowler, with the
patronage of Iroij Michael Kabua as well as that of the Bernice
Pauahi Bishop Museum in Hono lulu, have been collaborating on
projects and activities to ensure the revival and contemporization
of jaki-ed. Basing designs on their own creative vision, weavers
now use traditional patterns as inspiration for modern expressions.
The usp Jaki-Ed Program enables weavers to learn and share the
cultural knowledge and customs associated with the fine mats while
also building an exciting and sustainable creative industry.
Although jaki-ed are no longer worn as clothing, the mats are now
being collected as outstanding examples of cultural creativity.

Footnotes

The art featured in this issue can be viewed in full color
in the online version of The Contemporary Pacific via
Project MUSE. [End Page vii]

Click for larger view

Jaki-ed (fine mat) by Terse Timothy. 2010.
Maan¯ (pandanus leaves), dye, string.
36 x 30 inches. Photo by K Earnshaw.
Terse Timothy is from Aelōn¯ļapļap Atoll and Mōjeej Island. She
grew up watching her mother weave jaki-ed and continues to weave in
this style because it connects her to her ancestors.

[End Page ix]

Click for larger view

Above left, Susan Jieta weaves the kemejmej (design); above
right, detail of the kemejmej; and below, she braids the in¯in¯ of
the jaki-ed (intertwined border of the fine mat). Photos by T
Greenstone Alefaio.
Susan Jieta is from Mōjeej Island. While in her twenties, Susan
began weaving with a local women's group, and in 2007 she was
introduced to the intricacies of jaki-ed through the
USP program. She weaves the kemejmej that
traditionally referred to the complexities of land tenure and
hierarchal relationships to tell stories of culture, environment,
and natural and unnatural occurrences. The in¯in¯ is braided to
symbolize the interdependent relationship between one's father's
and mother's lineages.

[End Page x]

Click for larger view

Jaki-ed (fine mat) by Susan Jieta. 2012.
Maan¯ (pandanus leaves), dye, string. 36 x 36 inches. Collection of
Natalie Nimmer. Photos by K Higgins.
Susan Jieta endeavors to create elaborate designs in her jaki-ed.
In this one Susan has combined the motif of "the star of the eye"
(a cross in the center of a diamond) with the underbelly of a
turtle (stylized rhombus repetition). This is one of the ways in
which she pays tribute to the customs of her ancestors through
contemporary jaki-ed.

[End Page xi]

Click for larger view

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